Automatic feeding attachment for buttonhold and snap fastener machines



M rsh 22,, 3949 G. D. JONES ET AL 1 2,465,232 AUTOMATIG FEEDING ATTACHMENT FOR BUTTON HOLE AND SNAP FASTENER MACHINES Filed May 23, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS George Doa g l a s 157265 6272415207: wzilzam J67zes March 22 194%.

G. D. JONES ET AL 2,455,232

AUTOMATIC FEEDING ATTACHMENT FOR BUTTON HOLE AND SNAP FASTENER MACHINES Flled May 23, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS George ,UougZqs Jan/e5 and'Zeon-Zfliflbamfines BY WW flifornefs March 22, 1949. G. D. JONES El AL 2,465,232

AUTOMATIC FEEDING ATTACHMENT FOR BUTTON HOLE AND SNAP FASTENER MACHINES Filed May 25, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 e5 9 INVENTORS George Dcu ms Jonzs 02L an eon 202i pam Jane? 22, 1949. D. JONES El AL AUTOMATIC FEEDING ATTACHMENT FOR BUTTON HOLE .5 w 4 35 NJ 5 M N 0 a w m? m t W. m w 2m v 4 a gay s 0 Z a AND SNAP FASTENER MACHINES Filed May 25, 1945 Patented Mar. 22, 1949 UNITED STATES TENT OFFICE AUTOMATIC FEEDING ATTACHMENT FOR BUTTONHOLE .AND SNAP FASTENER MA- CHINES George Douglas Jones, West Brighton, and Leon Jones, Ocean Breeze, N. Y., assignors to This invention relates to an automatic feeding attachment for button hole and snap fastener machines. The principal object of the invention is the provision of an attachment of this character which may be used in conjunction with conventional button hole making machines, and by which a strip of material may be fed through the machine in synchronization with the operation thereof for proper and predetermined spacing of button holes on said strip. Another object of this invention is the provision of an attachment of the character described by which button holes may be sewed into a long strip of material such as a tape at regular or irregular space intervals, or at different intervals on the same strip of material.

The following description of the present invention will be in terms of a button hole making machine and button hole making operations, but it will be understood that this is but illustrative of the general nature of the present invention and that what is said of button holes is equally true true of snap fasteners.

A preferred embodiment of this invention-is shown in the accompanying drawing in which- Fig. 1 is a side View of a typical button hole making machine incorporating the attachment herein described and claimed;

Fig. 2 is a front view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 4. is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a somewhat diagrammatic view of a part of a timing mechanism of the device;

Y Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the electrical system of the attachment; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of a strip of tape showing two series of uniformly'spaced button holes formed therein by the machine herein claimed.

The machine herein claimed is provided with a standard button hole making machine 8 mounted on a table 9 and having a conventional belt drive mechanism including a motor M, a freely rotating pulley it, a drive pulley Illa and an endless belt H connecting the motor to the free pulley. A toggle switch I2 connected to the motor by means of cord l3 and to a suitable source of electric current by means of cord l4 controls the motor.

As is the case with standard button hole machines, drive pulley lfla is fixedly mounted on the main drive shaft l5 of the machine. Between successive button hole making operations the drive pulley 10a is prevented from driving the mechanism of the machine by locking finger l6 which locks said drive shaft it against rotation by engaging the usual stop cam ll thereon.

The motor also drives four shafts A, B, C and D respectively, all of said shafts except 0 being parallel to each other and to the drive shafts of the motor and the machine 8, shaft C lying on a line to which said other shafts are perpendicular. The hook-up between the motor and shafts A, B, C and D is as follows:

The motor is connected to a pulley 26 on one end of shaft A by means of endless belt 2!. Pulley 22 on the other end of shaft A is connected to a pulley 23 fixed to shaft B by means of endless belt 2a. A second pulley 25 on shaft B is connected to pulley 26 on shaft C by means of endless belt 21. A third pulley 28 on shaft B is connected by means of endless belt 29 to pulley 36 on shaft D. Thus it is, that when motor M is started, shafts A, B and D are caused to rotate, but not shaft C. The pulley 26 is not fixed to shaft C but is merely rotatably mounted thereon. A locking mechanism hereinafter described locks the shaft at predetermined intervals against rotation. It will be noted that some of the pulleys are larger or smaller than others. In all cases, however, the driving pulley is smaller than the driven pulley, and hence the arrangement hereinabove described may be considered to be a speed reducing system.

Shafts A and B and the pulleys mounted thereon are idlers and transmitters of power. They serve no other purpose. Shafts C and D however, carry operative parts of the machine.

A wheel or drum All is fixedly mounted on shaft C in close juxtaposition to rotatably mounted pulley 26. Pulley 28 has a friction or clutch face on the side of the wheel 40. A compression spring 41 afiixed at one end by means of collar 42 to the shaft C and engaging the opposite face of the pulley 26 by means of collar 33 affixed to the other end of said spring, always holds said pulley in frictional engagement with said wheel.

It will be noted that fixedly mounted on shaft 0 is a notched spacing wheel 45. The notches are spaced at predetermined intervals, the spacing wheel shown in the drawing being provided with two spaced groups of four equally spaced notches each, the spaces between the groups being larger than the spaces between the individual notches thereof.

A locking mechanism comprising a pivoted arm 50 pivoted in box 5!, has a pin 52 at one end adapted to engage the notches of spacing wheel 45 and a cam member 53 at the opposite end, adapted to be engaged by another cam or tripping member 54. Screws 55 limit the pivotal movement of arm 50 and leaf spring 56 urges the pin carrying end of said arm to move in the direction of spacing wheel 45, thereby bringing pin 52 into engagement with the notches of said wheel.

It is clear that when pin 52 engages the notches of spacing wheel 45, that wheel and hence the shaft C to which it is afilxed and the wheel 40 on said shaft are prevented from rotating despite the presence of rotating pulley 26 which frictionally engages said wheel 40. When the tripping member 54 engages cam 53, it causes arm 50 to pivot against the action of spring 56, thereby disengaging pin 52 from spacing wheel 45. Now that the spacing wheel is released, the shaft C is permitted to rotate and with it Wheel 40. Since rotating pulley 26 frictionally engages wheel 40 at all times in response to the action of spring 4| thereon, said Wheel, and hence shaft C and spacing wheel 45 will now be caused to rotate. Rotation of the shaft, the wheel 40 and the spacing wheel 45 ceases when tripping member 54 releases the cammed end of arm 50 and the pin carrying end thereof is brought into engagement with the spacing wheel under the influence of spring 56.

Reference to Figure 4 will show that the tripping member 54 comprises a cam member 60 pivotally mounted on an arm 6| which is clamped to a longitudinally movable rod 62. The cam member has a limited range of movement. It cannot pivot above a line drawn through the arm 6I, longitudinally thereof. It can pivot downwardly but only against the action of a leaf spring 63. It is clear therefore, that when rod 62 is caused to move downwardly, it carries arm BI and hence cam member 60 along with it. As the cam member 60 strikes and trips the cam 53 on pivotally mounted arm 50, said arm is caused to pivot and to release spacing wheel 45 as above described. As rod 62 continues its downward movement cam 60 disengages cam 53 and arm 50 pivots back into locking engagement with spacing wheel 45 in response to the action of spring 56. When rod 62 moves upwardly, cam 60 strikes cam 53 and pivots out of engagement therewith. Spring 63 returns cam 60 to its original position. It will be seen in Figure 1 that rod 62 is pivotally connected to arm I which is pivotally mounted at one end on a bracket 'II and which is pivotally connected at the other end to a solenoid I2. The solenoid actuates arm I0 in the usual manner causing longitudinal movement of rod 62 and thereby looking or releasing, as the case may be, spacing wheel 45.

Also pivotally connected to arm "I0 is one end of a longitudinally adjustable rod I3 whose other end is pivotally connected to a crank I4 fixed to 1'0- tatably mounted shaft I5. Crank I4 is the member which, by means of finger I6, elevates the presser foot 11 in the conventional manner when rod I3 moves downwardly to depress the crank. When rod I3 moves upwardly the crank releases the presser foot which then drops to operative position, also in the conventional manner.

Thus it is that when the solenoid I2 is energized and arm I0 is brought down, two things simultaneously happen: the spacing wheel 45 is released and the presser foot I! is raised.

Another arm 80 is fixedly mounted on shaft I which shaft is connected in conventional manner to the belt shifting and stop cam releasing mechanism of the machine. The arm 80 pivots integrally with said shaft which oscillates on its longitudinal axis when the belt shifting and stop cam releasing mechanism is actuated. The arm 80 engages and closes a normally open electric switch 8| when it pivots downwardly and disengages the same switch when it pivots upwardly.

Switch 8| is but one of three switches in the second of three electric circuits which control the machine. The first circuit has already been described. It includes electric motor M, cord I3, switch I2 and cord I4, the latter being connected to a source of electric current. Referring now to Figure 6, it will be noted that the second circuit in which is found switch 8| comprises a suitable source of electric current, a wire 82 leading therefrom to a toggle switch 83, a wire 84 connecting said toggle switch with normally open switch 8I, a wire 85 connecting said normally open switch with a normally closed switch 86, a wire 81 leading from the latter switch to solenoid I2 above mentioned, and a wire 88 leading from said solenoid to the source of current. It is clear from what has thus far been said that when toggle switch 83 is closed by hand and normally open switch 8| is closed by the action of arm 80, the circuit herein designated as the second circuit is made. Between button hole making operations switch 8I is kept closed.

A cam 90 rotatably mounted on the last of the four shafts, shaft D, is adapted to engage and thereby open, the normally closed switch 86. See Figure 5. Cam 90 is rotatably mounted on shaft D. It is engaged by a friction clutch 9I' which is fixedly mounted on shaft D, a compression spring 92 on said shaft maintaining said cam at all times in pressure contact with said clutch. In Figure 3 it will be seen that one end of a pivotally mounted locking member 93 is adapted to engage a pin 94 on cam 90 and that the opposite end thereof is adapted for engagement with a plurality of lugs 95 on wheel 40, said lugs being spaced to correspond to the spacing of the teeth on the spacing wheel 45. The locking member in contact with pin 94 locks the cam 90 against rotation. When a lug 95 strikes the locking member the latter is caused to disengage the pin and thereby to release the cam, this being done against the tension exerted by spring 86 on said locking member. When the lug in question disengages the locking member, the latter re-engages the pin 94 in response to the action of spring 96 and the cam 90 is thereby again locked against rotation.

It will be noted in Figure 6 that a normally open switch I00 situated adjacent normally closed switch 86 is adapted to be engaged, and thereby closed, by cam 90. Switch I00 controls the third of the three electric circuits mentioned above. Said third circuit comprises the suitable source of electric current above referred to, wire 82, toggle switch 83, a wire IOI connecting said toggle switch with said switch I00, a wire I02 connecting said switch with a solenoid I03 and a wire I04 leading from said solenoid to the source of current. Thus it is that only when toggle switch 83 is closed and normally open switch I 00 is engaged, by cam is solenoid I03 energized.

Careful scrutiny of Figure 5 will disclose that the cam is adapted to engage both switches 86 and I00 at the same time and that rotating as it does in the direction of the arrow, first switch 86 is engaged and thereby opened, and then switch I00 is engaged and thereby closed, switch 86 being still engaged, and then switch 86 is released whereupon it reverts to its normally closed condition, switch I00 being still engaged, and finally switch I00 is released and thereby permitted to revert to its normally open condition.

Solenoid I03 controls a lever I05 which is piv-I ot'edto a bracket I06. A longitudinally adjustable rod I01 is pivotally connected at one end to lever I05 and at the other end to a rocking arm II which is connected to the locking finger I6 above mentioned and belt shifter III. It is evident that when solenoid I03 pulls rod I01 down, the rocking arm IIIi moves the locking finger I6 out-of engagement with stop cam I1 thereby permitting rotation thereof and of the drive shaft I upon which it is mounted, and simultaneously therewith the belt shifter III is caused to shift the belt II from the freely rotating pulley III to the drive pulley Illa, thereby causing the main drive shaft I5 of the machine to rotate. It will be noted in Figure 1 that rod I01 is provided with a notch I08 which is adapted to receive a pivoted locking arm II2 when the said rod is pulled down a predetermined distance. When the locking arm thus engages the notched rod I01, further vertical movement of said rod is revented. It becomes immaterial therefore, whether solenoid I03 remains energized or not: the locking arm I I2 will be prevented from moving upwardly in responseto the action of spring I I3 on rocking arm H0. When a complete button hole making operation has taken place the pin 4 on cam II5 strikes the locking arm I52 and causes it to pivot out of engagement with notched rod I 01 which is now pulled upwardly by the action of spring M3 on rocking arm H0. Locking finger I6 now reengages stop cam II while at the same time the belt shifter III shifts the belt II from the drive pulley I00, to the idler I0, all this also in response to the action of spring I I3. This has the effect of stopping the button hole making machine 8 from further operation until the next button hole is due to be made.

A complete button hole making operation may now be described.

A long strip of material such as a tape I20 drawn from a freely rotating issuing reel (not shown) is placed in conventional position on the button hole making machine 8. Its free end is drawn under the presser foot 11, through a guide I'2I, around a roller I22, through a second guide I23, then between wheel 40 and a freely rotating wheel I24 and finally into a collecting basket (not shown) or onto a receiving reel (also not shown). It will be seen in Figure 1 that wheel I24 is carried by a pair of pivotally mounted supports I25 which are pivoted toward the wheel 40 by means of tension spring I26. It will be noted that these supports are pivoted at their lower ends to the frame of the machine. At their upper end is a handle by which they may be pivoted against the action of the tension springs in the direction away from the rest of the machine. This has the effect of bringing the wheel I24 over in the same direction and making tight contact between the tape on the one hand and the wheels 40 and I24 on the other, thereby effecting longitudinal movement of the tape when the wheel 40 is made to rotate as above described. A notched latch I21 holds the wheel I24 a predetermined distance away from wheel 40 to permit drawing the tape therebetween before the button hole making operations begin or to permit withdrawing the tape when these operations are concluded.

This is accomplished when the notch of latch I21 is caused to engage the axle of wheel I24. This can only be done by moving supports I25 outwardly in the direction away from wheel 40. Therefore, when the latch I21 is in engagement, by means of its notch, with the axle of wheel I24, a considerable space is provided between the two wheels and I24 throughwhic'h the tape may be drawn.

Switch I2 is-now closed starting motor M and causing rotation of shafts A, B and C. The three stitches 8|, 83 and 8B are now closed and the second circuit above described which these switches control is likewise closed. Solenoid 12 which is in said circuit becomes energized.

Solenoid 12 acts to free spacing wheel by pivoting arm and hence pin 52 out of engagement with one of the notches in said wheel and at the same time to raise the presser foot 11 by pulling rod 13 down. heel 40 is now free to rotate under the influence of rotating friction pulley 26 and in so doing itdraws. the tape a distance determined by the space separating adjacent notches in the spacing wheel. It will be recalled that arm 50 is not held out of engagement with the spacing wheel, but instead tripped out of en:- gagement therewith. Arm 50 re-engages and locks the spacing wheel at its first opportunity, said opportunity being presented when the notch immediately following the first mentioned notch is brought into engageable position with respect to pin 52.

Before, however, said second notch moves into engageable position, and in consequence of the limited angular movement of wheel 40, looking member 93 is tripped to release cam 00. Said cam now itself engages in angular movement under the influence of rotating friction clutch 9|, the extent of such movement being controlled by the space separating adjacent lugs 05 on wheel 40. As has already been indicated, lugs 05 are spaced to correspond to the spacing of the notches in the spacing wheel, but the notches occupy advanced positions: that is the notches are timed for disengagement before the corresponding lugs disengage the locking member 93 and they are 40 timed for re-engagement before the lugs reengage said locking member.

After the second notch is engaged by pin 52, the cam 90 contacts and opens switch 85, thereby breaking the second circuit above described, and de-energizing solenoid 12. The presser foot now drops in response to the usual spring action exerted thereon and another conventional spring (not shown) raises the arm 14 and thereby elevates the tripping member 54 and the rod of solenoid 12 readying these members for repetition of the action above described.

The tape having been moved a predetermined distance and the presser foot being down, the machine 8 is now ready to perform the usual button hole making operation on said tape. Cam 00 is still moving and it now contacts and closes switch I00 thereby closing the third circuit above described. Solenoid I03 is energized pulling rod I01 down until the notch I08 therein is engaged by latch I I2, thereby causing the belt shifter to move the belt II from the idling pulley II) to the drive pulley I0a and at the same time causing the pin I6 to release the stop cam I1. The machine and the trimmer mechanism now operate in conventional manner.

Switch 86 is still held open by cam 90. When switch BI is released by arm which is connected to the belt shifting and stop cam releasing mechanism, said switch 8 I opens and it therefore becomes immaterial that cam releases switch 86 and permits it to close. It will be recalled that latch II 2 is now in looking engagement with rod I01. Such being the case it is immaterial that cam 90 releases switch I00 and permits said switch to open.

The operation of the machine continues until a complete button hole is made. When this is done pin H4 on cam H5 causes latch H2 to disengage rod I01. The latter now moves up in response to the action of spring H3 and also in response to said action the belt shifter returns the belt I I to the idler Ill and the locking finger l6 reengages the stop cam [1. At this moment the trimming mechanism trims the top and bottom thread in the usual way. A complete button hole making operation has now been described and the procedure is repeated for the next button hole.

The machine above described is but a preferred embodiment of the present invention and many modifications may be incorporated therein without departing from the basic principles of the invention. For example, hydraulic or compressed air means might be used to take the place of the solenoids herein described and it is believed that they would serve the same purpose as the solenoids equally well.

We claim:

1. An automatic feeding attachment for button hole making machines comprising a work feeding means and a timing mechanism which actuates the work feeding means between buttonhole making operations, said work feeding means including a wheel frictionally engaged for rotation and frictionally engaging the work for longitudinal movement thereof, said timing mechanism consisting of a notched spacing wheel fixed to a common shaft with said work feeding wheel, and a locking member which engages the notches on said spacing wheel and locks said wheel and the work feeding wheel against rotation during button hole making operations of said machine, and unlocks said wheels in the intervals between button hole making operations of said machine, thereby permitting the work feeding wheel to move the work longitudinally.

2. An automatic feeding attachment for button hole making machines comprising a work feeding means including a feeding wheel which is adapted for intermittent angular movement and which frictionally engages the work for longitudinal movement thereof, a timing mechanism which causes angular movement of said feeding wheel at spaced, predetermined intervals, and a second timing mechanism which actuates the button hole making machine in the intervals between movements of said feeding wheel, said second timing mechanism consisting of a cam wheel which actuates the electric switches controlling the button hole making machine, said cam wheel being frictionally engaged for rotation, and a locking member engaged by said feeding wheel which looks said cam against rotation when the feeding wheel moves, thereby stopping the button hole making machine when it is time to advance the work.

3. An automatic feeding attachment for button -hole making machines having the usual presser foot for holding the work during the button hole making operation, said attachment, comprising a work feeding means including a feeding wheel which is adapted for intermittent angular movement and which frictionally engages the work for longitudinal movement thereof, a timing mechanism which causes angular movement of said feeding wheel at spaced, predetermined intervals, said timing mechanism comprising a rotating wheel which frictionally engages the feeding wheel to cause rotation thereof, a notched wheel connected to said feeding wheel, and a solenoid controlled mechanism which intermittently engages the notched wheel to lock it and the feeding wheel against angular movement thereof, and intermittently disengages the notched wheel to free it and the feeding wheel for angular movement thereof in response to the action of the rotating wheel on the feeding wheel, said solenoid controlled mechanism being also connected to the presser foot of said button hole making machine for intermittently disengaging said presser foot from the work to free the work for longitudinal movement thereof in response to the action of the feeding wheel thereon, and a second timing mechanism which actuates the button hole making machine in the intervals between movements of said feeding wheel, said second timing mechanism consisting of a cam Wheel which actuates the electric switches controlling the button hole making machine, said cam wheel being frictionally engaged for rotation, and a. locking member engaged by said feeding wheel which looks said cam against rotation when the feeding wheel moves, thereby stopping the button hole making machine when it is time to advance the work.

4. An automatic feeding attachment for button hole making machines comprising a work feeding means including a feeding wheel which is adapted for intermittent angular movement and which frictionally engages the work for longitudinal movement thereof, a timing mechanism which causes angular movement of said feeding wheel at spaced, predetermined intervals, and a second timing mechanism which actuates the button hole making machine in the intervals between movements of said feeding wheel, said second timing mechanism consisting of a cam wheel, a rotating wheel which frictionally engages the cam wheel to cause rotation thereof, a locking member which is actuated by the feeding wheel when the timing wheel moves, and which intermittently locks said cam wheel against angular movement thereof, and intermittently frees said cam wheel for angular movement thereof in response to the action of the rotating wheel thereon, and a solenoid controlled mechanism actuated by the cam wheel which controls the operation of the button hole making machine.

GEORGE DOUGLAS JONES. LEON W. JONES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 473,564 Allen Apr. 26, 1892 594,290 Schwarz Nov. 23, 1897 

